6th Annual Duvall Outdoor Quilt Show

Part of the reason I only saw one Alpaca Farm was because I ended up getting side-tracked in Duvall. The Quilter's Garden in Duvall had mentioned there would be a quilt show in September; but not only did I forget about it, but I didn't realize what a really great show it would be. I love that the Tavern even participated:



It is a really fun, small town event. I am going to actually plan on attending when I have more time next year. According to the Web site; it is the last Saturday in September. The quilts were on display on the local shops on the street. This photo doesn't do this book store justice. It is a really neat building:



Duvall isn't the best location in terms of convenience if you need to leave; but it is a very cute town. I actually really enjoy the Quilter's Garden too; even if I don't get out there very often.



Anyone can submit their quilts and admission to the event is free. There was supposed to be some quilts inside that I wished I had seen; but honestly the street life was distracting enough. There was also a few different raffles going on.



River City Arcade Cafe actually had a really high wall with a lot of quilts on it. Unfortunately I couldn't get back enough for the full effect. There was another building adjacent to it and they had a grass alley between them which later because the spot for a band to set up.



For the Harry Potter fans:

National Alpaca Farm Day

In the local paper there was an announcement for National Alpaca Farm Day. I had never heard of this before (I wonder if there is one for llamas) but I figured since there was so many farms in Fall City and Duvall that I would have to check this out.

I ended up only really seeing one farm: Alpacas at Legacy Ranch. I actually stopped at one in Snoqualmie but had parking issues and didn't stay. Aside from seeing the animals, the other reason I wanted to stop at Legacy was that they had yarn for sale (according to their flyer). I didn't end up buying yarn, but I did learn a bit about Alpacas.

Falling

The quilting doberman has been horribly neglected while my attention has been on rescue kitty; so today after getting work done I decided to hit a trail on the Middle Fork around 11:30am. I planned a short outing and on being out in time to catch a 5pm movie at the local theatre.



I knew the weather was risky; but it was pretty broken when we started with a bit of rain. First we went way down a road to see what happened when it turned into trail. Well what happens is that the trail ends in a horrible mess and you have to back track. It was on this trail that I slipped and fell on my right rear - this is important information for later.

So we went back along the road and decided to go up a trail that I never finish - and today sadly proved to be no exception. And to add to my frustration; because of this add-on trip I didn't get back to the car until about 5:15pm. But what was kind of funny is that the quilting doberman was acting up and running around in a frenzy being all silly and slipped and fell also on his right rear. I didn't really register it until he walked away all embarrassed with mud on that side. I believe you can tell in this photo that it was taken after he slipped and fell.



This hike is steep. It is so steep that you are rarely winded; you simply can't move fast enough (or I can't). Over half of the hike I did in pretty thick fog which was the "nice weather." In the last 1/2 mile or so the storm really kicked in with more thunder and freezing rain. Then finally at the base of the final scramble the lightening came and that is what ended my hike short of the very top. I couldn't get the quilting doberman to be in this photo because he was grumpy. We did get our first "white" of the season though, so that is kind of exciting.



And since I know you are dying to know: rescue kitty woke up this morning feeling like a new cat (he was being completely obnoxious). I think between the medication, the food, and the water he is feeling a lot better. Everything is his plaything; the lights on the modem, the printer, the cords...me.

Animals that walk into your life

For better or worse; I am the person that ends up getting called sometimes when an animal needs help. Last night I ended up with a newly trapped kitten. I am not a big fan of fostering. It turns out I am not tough enough for it and when it comes time to get them to their new home I fall apart a bit. Or possibly worse than that; the cat never leaves.



This boy is probably about 12 weeks old. He has a broken jaw (in the photo; that injury to the lower jaw is related to the break). He was trapped using a large live trap after calling out for hours in a thick blackberry patch.



Right now he lives in my office/quilting area - segregated from my other two cats. He went to the vet today and will have to get well before he can find his new home. The one easier thing about treating him right now is that he doesn't seem to be feral so he has warmed up to me MUCH faster which makes it easier to treat him.

Committing to a project

So I finally decided that I better actually commit to an applique project before I entirely forgot what I learned in class. This is a pattern that my mom got me a year or two ago at this quilt shop on Bainbridge. The pattern is by Beach Garden Quilts. Tonight I mostly dealt with the cutting and layout which actually would be more involved than you think when you are unsure of what you are doing. My class didn't really cover when pieces overlap each other or what part you should sew down first - but at least I think I have a plan that is going to work for me. I am pretty excited to start trying to actually sew it.



It is really getting cold out here. And quickly we are approaching my favorite month of October. I tried to get some good fall hiking photos yesterday for my homesick reader - but it was getting too late and they came out too dark. I will try again soon. The quilting doberman actually lives with 2 very bossy cats. Despite his size; they both run the house. With the cold weather, the elder kitty is starting to demand some snuggling.

Sheep to Shawl

Usually I go to the Puyallup Fair on overcast days - and after seeing how lethargic the animals were today I wish it had been overcast rather than the upper 80s. Anyway, I had a special reason for going on this particular day though. First, the pigmy goats:



Darn heat. Normally they are always running around the pen and causing trouble. I love pigmy goats. I wish I had a couple of them around the house sometimes. At the Evergreen Fair they had 2 day old pigmy goats and they were overwhelmingly cute. I definitely had a lot better animal exposure and experience at the Evergreen Fair. And that is a big reason I usual go to fairs (not for the rides or the food or the crowds). The Evergreen Fair also had draft mules this year and I wish I had a photo of them...I wish I had a few of those with my pigmy goats...

Now for the special reason I was there: SHEEP TO SHAWL



Today's team had two pretty special ladies on it - everyone on that team is great, but these two women are special to me. One lady is the mom of my great friend since junior high. I have very fond memories of her craft room where she had yarns and wools and a spinning wheel. She used to spin at the Marymoor Park Heritage Festival (this fair has since been discontinued - a real loss in my opinion). And the other special lady on the team was a very key person in me learning to knit. Her mom and her owned a yarn store in Issaquah which I went in regularly for knitting group and private assistance. Really wonderful and creative women. I am thinking good thoughts that they do well today. I hope someone sends me a photo of the finished product.

Here is a good article on what a Sheep to Shawl event is if you don't know. I really don't know much about it myself and this is the first time I have gone and watched a team. They were having a good time and the second time I came around they had a little crowd watching them. You can't really talk to them much because they need to stay focused; but they are all smiles and seem to really be enjoying it.

Stinging the beads in preparation (she was the one with the great craft room I used to hang out with my junior high friend in):




I sort of dread trying to explain the following photo since I know zero about looms but I know she was tying off yarns. Sigh. That explanation came out worse than I planned. What can I say - she taught me how to knit. Look at that happy smile!

Shoo-Fly

Right now I am working on two of the largest quilts I have done so far. These aren't the only two quilts I am working on at once; they are simply the largest two. The one pictured with the quilting doberman is called "Winter Garden" and the pattern comes from the January/February 2004 issue of the Quilters Newsletter Magazine. The block is the Shoo-Fly block. Ironically it is considered an easy pattern; but between the large size and all the cutting I am about to start for the borders (there are 2 of them) it is time-intensive.

Last night one of my knitting patterns came to an abrupt end when I ran out of yarn (I didn't entirely panic as I did have several other unfinished projects to work on; however this is a baby gift and regardless of how large I knit they aren't babies forever). After several phone calls today I have come to find out that the yarn I ran out of is also discontinued - long ago discontinued from the sounds of it. I KNEW buying no more new yarn until I significantly dented my existing stock was a bad idea.

Speaking of yarn, if you haven't visited the Yarn Harlot's blog recently it is well worth it for August 28th post about washing fleece. And why is it worth visiting? Well for the "squirrel deterrent system." I really laughed. What I didn't realize until it was explained to me is that this squirrel is a regular nuisance in her fiber life...